Renovation & Design

Renovation & Design

Ten ways to make your home more homey

In the better late than never category, here are 10 New Year's resolutions for your home. Next year, we resolve to do this list earlier:

1 Nest. In periods of economic uncertainty, people tend to spend more time at home. So use 2009 to turn your home into a comfortable space -- a trend the pros are calling "anchoring." So whether it's picking up a flat-screen TV or moving furniture around, take some time to tailor your home to your needs.

2 Embrace colour. Whether it's throw pillows or a brightly coloured vase, vow to take a chance on a trendy colour this year.

3 Surround yourself with items you love. Whether it's painting your living room a vibrant yellow, adding family photos or quirky mementoes, choose decor items that make you smile.

4 Be ready for cleaning. Stash dust cloths around your home so they're handy whenever you spot a speck that needs cleaning. Commit to five-minute cleaning blitzes to keep clutter from piling up.

5 Move things around. Try putting a chair in a new room or shuffling your photographs. You'll be surprised.

6 Know the trends, but don't be a slave to them. While bold colours are king, nesting is hot and small spaces are on the rise, you don't have to embrace these trends in your own decor. Hate purple? Ignore it and hope for a colour closer to your own heart next year. Embrace the parts you love to update your look and forget the rest.

7 Be frugal. Spruce up pieces you already own and, when making purchases, consider quality and consignment shopping. It's easy to update your look without breaking the bank -- for example through paint or small items.

8 Explore green cleaners. Whether it's buying an eco-friendly cleaner or making your own, give fume-free, Earth-friendly cleaning a chance.

9 Save energy. If you've been meaning to install programmable thermostats or timed lights, try it this year. You'll save energy and money.

10 Try a barn-raising. Low on money for a tradesperson? Team up with friends and paint one person's kitchen this week, refinish the other's dining room table the next, etc.

-- Canadian Press

March 29

Renovation & Design

It's easy, going green -- and saving green, too

Here are some things you can do to slash your energy bill this winter; some take only a minute and don't require any upfront investment:

Lower the water heater temperature

You can change the temperature on both electric and gas water heaters, according to Bruce Harley's Cut Your Energy Bills Now: 150 Smart Ways to Save Money & Make Your Home More Comfortable & Green. He suggests setting the temperature on the lowest setting comfortable -- no lower than 50 C.

Upgrade your refrigerator

Energy Star models require about half as much energy as models manufactured before 1993. Consider a new fridge if you purchased yours before 1990, says Harley, an engineer and technical director of Conservation Services Group, a national, non-profit energy services firm based in Westborough, Mass. The firm provides energy-saving strategies to consumers and businesses, among other things. He suggests looking for a model with a top freezer, which uses 10 per cent to 15 per cent less energy than one with side-by-side doors. Avoid energy-wasting features like through-door ice and water dispensers.

Change the furnace setting

Don't leave the furnace fan running all day, says Harley. Switch the setting to auto and save on your electric bill.

Consider weatherstripping

For doors that weren't meant to be exterior doors, install a new weather-stripping kit. For older double-hung windows that can be loose and leaky, Harley recommends pre-formed, V-shaped weatherstripping.

Don't use the fireplace

Fireplaces are less efficient at heating homes than furnaces and produce a fair amount of pollution, according to Harley. Use it occasionally for the mood, he says. Then make sure it's shut down when you are not using it. Make sure the damper is closed when the fireplace is not in use and that it's a tight seal, says David Lupberger, home improvement expert for ServiceMagic.com, a free service to connect homeowners with prescreened contractors. You don't want the heat in the house to escape through the chimney, he says.

Replace old equipment

Check the manufacturing date of heating, water heating and air conditioning equipment, says Harley. If it's more than 15 years old, consider replacing it. Better to do it now than wait until it breaks down, he says. Replace it with the most energy-efficient unit you can find.

Consider a programmable thermostat

Program the thermostat so it lowers the temperature at night and during the day when no one is home, says Harley.

Get a home energy assessment

An assessment will identify things like air leaks, missing insulation and leaky duct work, says Harley. He recommends looking for someone certified as a home energy rater. Consumers should also check with their local utility company or government organizations to see if significant technical support or help paying for the work are offered, says Harley.

Check electrical outlets for air leaks

Outlets can be like holes in the wall letting in cold air, says Lupberger. Consider insulated covers, he says.

Wrap the water heater

Consider purchasing an insulation blanket and wrapping it around your hot water heater, says Lupberger. That will keep the heat from escaping.

Check your heating and cooling system

If you have a central air-conditioning unit, hire a qualified person to check the refrigerant charge and air flow through the system, says Harley. He says you should only need to do this once unless something seems wrong. If you have a gas furnace, have it cleaned and tuned every three years, he says.

Change the light bulbs

Get rid of standard incandescent bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent light bulbs, said Lauri Ward, president of Use What You Have Interiors. Energy Star qualified CFLs use about 75 per cent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, according to Energy Star.

Check insulation

For older homes, check exterior walls and attic for insulation, says Harley. If there is no insulation in the walls or only a little in attic, consider hiring someone to install it.

Check ducts.

If there is ductwork in the attic, chances are it probably has a lot of leaks in it and needs to be sealed, regardless of the age of the home, says Harley. If you have ducts that need to be sealed, get a referral from the home energy auditor or look for someone who is certified, says Harley.

Unplug appliances

The things that tend to use electricity when they are plugged in, even when they're turned off, include televisions, DVD players, digital video recorders, printers, fax machines, and computers, says Harley. Use a power strip for things that don't need to be on when you're not at home. For the computer, Harley says don't use the screen saver; turn the monitor off or put the whole computer in standby. Also unplug cellphone chargers when the phones aren't charging, he says. The same rule applies for hand-held vacuums.

-- The Associated Press

By Megan K. Scott
March 29

Renovation & Design

How to remove plastic

QUESTION — A friend discovered that plastic parts of a kettle melted onto the enamel part of her stove. She can chip pieces off a bit but she is afraid of damaging the enamel. What can she do? Joy, Winnipeg

ANSWER -- Begin by heating the area with a blow dryer, leave it in place for three minutes and then gently scrape the residue off with a plastic putty knife. If the plastic remains, spray the stove with WD-40 wait for 10 minutes and then wipe. Caution should be taken when using WD-40 around a heated surface. However, we are tackling the outside and not the inside of the oven. After the plastic is gone forever, clean the stove with dish soap and water. I think that your friend will be smiling!

QUESTION -- I was told that you can clean a toilet with Kool-Aid or Tang. Is this true? Carol, Winnipeg

ANSWER -- Absolutely! Kool-Aid, just like Tang orange crystals, contains high amounts of citric acid. Citric acid is a powerful cleaner derived from fruit such as lemons, grapefruits and oranges. The added benefit to using Kool-Aid as a cleaner is that it is safe for homes where pets drink from the toilet and it is non-toxic for the air in your home.

QUESTION -- I look forward to your column in the newspaper each week. Your solutions are great! Here is my question; how do I get freezer smell out of ice cube trays? Best wishes and thank you, Liz, Grunthal

ANSWER -- When making ice cubes let's begin with the water supply. If you have hard water, with lots of minerals in it, you're best off to use distilled water. Whether starting with tap water or distilled water, boil the water to get some of the air out of it. If you're pouring the water into plastic trays, let the water cool somewhat before making ice cubes. Chances are that the odour is coming from food that has gotten into the insulation system of your freezer. Put one tbsp. vanilla extract on a small plate and set in the freezer, repeat three times. Or purchase activated charcoal from a pet store. Place in freezer to remove smell. Lastly, clean the ice cube trays periodically with a mixture of baking soda and water.

Reena Nerbas is the author of the national bestsellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions, Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets and the soon-to-be-released book Household Solutions 3 with Green Alternatives available online and in stores across Canada.

www.householdsolutions.org

Solutions: Reena Nerbas
March 14

Renovation & Design

Burgeoning market for recycled glass tiles

The windshield you glare through while tackling the daily commuter battlefield could one day be a cheery backsplash in the kitchen or swanky insets around the soaking tub.

Old car windshields, along with castoff pop bottles and glass jars, are being snatched up by the truckload for the burgeoning market in recycled glass tiles. And the results can be breathtaking: everything from exquisite mosaics to iridescent, multicoloured rectangles and big, bold slabs that trumpet, "I'm a design risk-taker and proud of it."

Enthusiasm for recycled glass tiles is rooted less in environmental concerns than in the products' sheer beauty, says Elaine Nikiforuk, owner of World Mosaic in Ottawa. Her store carries several lines of glass, porcelain and other green tiles, including the gorgeous Oceanside Glasstile line.

If the recycled aspect is mostly a bonus for customers, it's a key part of business for Oceanside Glasstile and like-minded manufacturers. Depending on colour, Oceanside tiles contain up to 87 per cent recycled material. That can range from trimmings from the company's own production lines to glass (nearly a million kilograms a year) from curbside recycling programs. The old glass is melted and blended with silica sand to produce the tiles.

The companies vigorously market their sustainable components and processes including energy-efficient manufacturing. DuPont, for example, has recently launched the Zodiaq Terra Collection of tiles containing at least 50 per cent recycled glass. The products can contribute to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the environmental stamp of approval from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Glass tiles stretch back to Byzantine days. Especially big in the 1960s, when Italy was about the only producer of then-fashionable one-square-inchers, glass tiles fell out of favour before exploding again in popularity several years ago, with manufacturers around the world offering a dizzying array of textures, colours and, now, environmental pluses. Glass tiles work wonderfully in kitchens, shower stalls, around fireplaces, in spas and pools, and as accents. Small mosaic tiles are perfect for curves, while rectangular ones can spike a surface with visual allure.

"Glass has come a long way," says Penny Southam, whose Ottawa-based interior design firm, Southam Design, has seen a surge in tile appeal. "Now people are interested in contemporary, clean lines, and glass really lends itself well to that."

Though glass tiles from China are flooding the market at below $10 a square foot, you can pay up to $100 a square foot for recycled ones.

-- Canwest News Service

By Patrick Langston
March 14

Renovation & Design

Turning inspiring words into exciting décor

When I'm out and about at retailers in the city, I'm always on the prowl for new products. I'm especially interested in new décor products that were created by Canadians. Supporting small business in Canada is important to me. I'm a bit of an entrepreneur so I know how tough it is to achieve success with a new idea or product.

In a recent venture, I happened upon a product called Walltalk, and got to work researching this Canadian company on the Internet.

The Walltalk site is impressive and instantly conveys the owner/creator's desire to inspire us with motivating words and quotes.

This genuine intention hooked me right away. Intention is everything and I think that's why owner Ronda Pegnam is so successful.

The company has a strong following in Canada and is supported by an amazing group of retailers, each of whom is listed on their website. When your intentions are genuine, your enthusiasm is contagious.

The Walltalk products are graphic precut, pre-spaced, removable lettering on a roll that you simply transfer to your walls, windows, mirrors, accessories and even your vehicle. Gone are the days of stencilling your favourite sayings onto the walls, which was time-consuming and limited to what size and font of stencils were available.

Up to this point, I was using wooden lettering that I'd painted and displayed around the home. While I love the effect, it is more cumbersome and expensive and again, limited to the lettering available. Walltalk opens up a whole new arena for all of us.

As a writer, I know that words can inspire, comfort and heal and I've always loved having important quotes and words as part of my décor.

What great gifts for a friend in need rather than just an inspirational card. It would be a lovely sentiment that would comfort and inspire the recipient for years to come.

I can see these given as gifts to someone battling breast cancer or to someone in a hospice or nursing home to brighten up their room. They are also great gift ideas for weddings, retirements and promotions. They come in funky little boxes that present nicely and are lightweight if shipping a gift is required.

Walltalk donates a portion of their sales to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, so you'd also be supporting a great cause with your purchase.

The Walltalk Company Inc., is located in a farmhouse in Grand Valley, Ont.; a farming community just north of Toronto.

This business has grown from a kitchen-table operation to a booming business that provides product to more than 1,100 retailers in North America. The farmhouse sat ready to be rented on the property adjacent to Ronda's country home that she shares with her partner, Tom.

Once her business grew too big to be run from her home, she decided to move the business next door to the farmhouse.

It needed some TLC, so she and her friends and staff spent a weekend painting and sprucing up the space and Ronda says that it's funky and more conducive to creativity.

Wallktalk has many product lines that include Baby Talk, Lipstick (for girlfriends), Graphically Speaking, Blessings, Signature Series and even a French line of products. They are always working on new ideas for additional product lines so they're product remains fresh and relevant.

You may have seen this product on HGTV or in popular magazines such as Canadian Living and Home & Décor Magazine. This product is available at retailers across North America. For a store near you check out their website at www.walltalk.ca. It couldn't be easier to use and has great bang for the buck.

I've never met Ronda, but I've dreamed of being where she is. We've all had at least one great idea in our lifetime that we hope might turn into something big and Ronda has been successful. Out of her success comes an easy decorating application that is quick and inexpensive that can change the look of your décor.

Good for her and good for us!

Connieoliver@shaw.ca

Room for Change: Connie Oliver
March 14